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Wow...Florence is really warm...apparently, it's one of the warmest in Italy...something about the geography and the city being a heat island. And we really felt it while struggling to our hostel with backpacks. Our hostel, the Soggiorno Prestipino (fondly known as 'Soggi' in the Lee family) was OK...clean and convenient but a little over our budget. The problem is, things book up fast in Spring in Italy so we take whatever we can find!!
Arriving in late afternoon, our first priority was, of course, food! Wandering down the Arno, past the Ponte Vecchio and the Uffizi gallery towards our fantastic (very authentic) Italian meal felt very Florentine. I'm sure that's the wrong use of the word, but you understand, right? After dinner we had a very serendipitous experience...In search of gelato (cos gelato was essential for any day in Italy!), we walked through the very impressive building housing the Uffizi Gallery and stumbled across the Piazza della Signoria. Parts of the piazza are basically used as an open air statue gallery and seeing it for the first time at night (all lit up) and without the crowds was pretty special! The gelato, however was not so special... disappointing us
Ellie on a bridge
Ponte Vecchio in the background by being overpriced... Venice definitely had the thumbs up for me with that one!
The next day was Monday and seeing as most museums are closed on Mondays, we tackled the churches instead. After a busy trattoria style lunch and a visit to the markets (where they don't let you pick your own fruit!!!), we went in search of the famous Duomo. Although we'd been told by the LP that it would stop us in our tracks, I still wasn't prepared. It is really beautiful!!! And the inside is surprisingly bare and simple (but still beautiful!). Next stop was the Basilica di San Lorenzo...another church with pretty cloisters and a really cool altar thing by Donatello but we were really there to see the staircase by Michelangelo, which was closed 😞 I took Kev on a little guided walking tour of the surrounding area...pointing out many important sights and eating our best gelato in Florence... panna cotta... yum! (Next to the Museo del Bargello if you're interested). Our next feat was to ascend a steep hot hill to the Piazzale Michelangelo, where we were to be met with lovely views of the city. It was worth the walk cos
the views were stunning...suddenly Florence felt like it was part of Tuscany seeing the rolling hills beside it. Another 10 minute walk and we made it to our real destination...the Chiesa di San Miniato al Monte. Yes, another church! But not only was it one of the prettiest churches we've seen yet, it is also set in one of the most peaceful and lovely locations in Florence...hidden from the tourist hoardes because of it's inconvenient home on the top of a hill! But there was one more attraction for us... the LP had suggested we visit at 5:30pm in summer to hear Gregorian chants emerging from the crypt. Not knowing where the crypt was, we hung around outside in silence, fearing that we'd missed the moment, but upon entering the church, we were met with one of the most beautiful sounds of our trip so far. We followed the sound to the beautiful, atmospheric crypt where the monks were conducting a service, accompanied by a few tourists and fellow worshippers. And there we sat for the next 45 mins...it was really special!!! As we like to say in Oz...."ah the serenity!"
Our next day in Florence was anything but
serene. I think on Mondays, all the tourists have a day off cos it was a ghost town compared to Tuesday! Of course, we didn't heed the advice of the LP (we're very fickle with what we do and don't heed) and sauntered down to the Uffizi Gallery at about lunchtime, panini in hand, with no reservation. Bad idea. In contemplating the horrendous crowds and our next move, we had our second chance encounter. "JOHN!!!", I heard Kev shout out as our friends John and Lena Kasinathan from church walked past us. We had no idea they were even planning a trip to Italy! What are the odds? Believe me, we spent a little while trying to figure out the odds...but even after studying statistics at uni (twice!), I wasn't even close to figuring it out. Anyway, they had booked tickets and lined up early in the morning to get into the Uffizi, so we decided our chances (statistics again!) of getting in were slight. We opted for the smaller Galleria del Academia instead, which houses Michelangelo's David (a must see when you come to Florence). When we got there, I left Kev in the line while I surveyed the
scene....no reserved tickets left and the people in the front had been waiting for 3 1/2 hours and it was stinking hot! After a futile wait for over an hour, we left again for more fertile ground....the Museo del Bargello. This time, we got in straight away and enjoyed the cool building and amazing statues in relative peace. Side note...in Italian museums, it pays to be English...you get in half price! We returned to the Galleria at about 5:30pm and got in within about 10 mins! Very smart. The David was very impressive...and huge! Not much to see in the rest of the museum, but it was worth it to see him!
The next morning we were on our way to Siena on the bus. We'd decided that after not seeing enough countryside in Provence, we weren't gonna make the same mistake in Tuscany...which my parents have been raving to me about for years! We'd booked a place for 2 nights in a little town 1/2 hour away from Siena. It came highly recommended on Hostel World so we thought we'd give it a go. A little out of our budget but (as we were to find out), amazing
value for what it was. I almost don't want to tell you the name of this place cos it was so perfect....but I'll overcome my selfishness and tell you.. it was the Fattoria Di Cavaglioni...an old but beautifully maintained farmhouse. Our first sight of it was the front gate...a huge metal structure with 4 massive eagles perched on top. This was some place, we thought! The house itself is also huge...the owners (an incredibly generous and warm family) live on one level and rent out rooms on another to people like us! On arriving, we met Bernice, the daughter in the family, who informed us that instead of a room without a bathroom, we were getting a suite complete with bathroom, 2 bedrooms and a gorgeous view over the garden and farm. We felt totally spoilt walking into our charming bedroom and looking out over a classic Tuscan scene! This was exactly what we wanted!!!! Not only did we get a perfect place to stay, but Bernice also informed us that the little town's gelateria served the best gelato in Tuscany and we wholeheartedly agree!!! The flavours and value were both amazing and win #1 in the gelato stakes for
Duomo
Florence us!!
We did get to see Siena the next day...another beautiful cathedral and pretty buildings but we tried to spend as much time as possible in our countryside manor. We spent many hours sitting on the kitchen terrace, drinking wine, eating homemade pasta and chatting to other young travellers like ourselves. Bernice, who manages to help run a hotel and 2 family farms while doing her PHD in development studies and singing in a rock band, informed us that they advertised their home on hostel world because she wanted young people to come and really appreciate it! And we really did! She also taught us much about Tuscan history...at one point, her family owned about 17 farms and a few palaces here and there...more than any other family in Tuscany.
So...eating gelato, walks in the countryside, watching the sun set over a Tuscan farm...made for two very happy and blessed backpackers! We were very sad to say goodbye and make our way to our next campsite...this time in Rome!
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Benjamin Teo
non-member comment
Hi
Hi Kev and Elle, really amazing journey you are taking us along (well in our imagination!) - almost like a whole cultural experience and tour on its own right. Pictures are amazing, not only the visual themselves, but the photographic ideas, at least one of you must be an expert in this!? Love reading your blog and the pictures, surprises ++ . We miss you here in Sydney..... as you guys must be repeatedly told :) B e n